Yakima Herald-Republic: Yakima Domestic Violence Coalition has made a big difference in two short years

Here’s an anniversary well worth noting: The Yakima Domestic Violence Coalition has just completed its second full year of existence.

The group that emphasizes data tracking, community education and communication to address the problem of violence among intimate partners began informal gatherings in May 2021, but quickly expanded to regular monthly meetings by that July.

Today, it’s providing invaluable help in meeting a critical need in the community.

Lt. Chad Janis of the Yakima Police Department heads the coalition, which includes representatives from YWCA Yakima, the Yakima Police Department, local prosecutors, correctional and probation officers, the Yakima School District and local mental health experts. The group also includes the Dispute Resolution Center of Yakima and Kittitas counties, various church leaders and social workers.

Another key voice at the table: the public.

The group’s meetings – held from 10 a.m. to noon the second Tuesday of each month in the fireside room of OIC of Yakima, are open to anyone. That not only promotes transparency, it gives the coalition firsthand feedback.

Hearing real-life experiences directly no doubt helps guide the group as it focuses on the community’s most pressing needs. It also positions the coalition as a place to go for answers.

Any way you score it, the Yakima Domestic Violence Coalition is off to an impressive start.

And in its first two years, the coalition can point to some significant accomplishments.

It’s brought in useful speakers with expert backgrounds to talk about a range of topics – from the toll domestic violence takes on public health to how it affects young people’s well-being and development. The group also explores ways to prevent or defuse dangerous dynamics and spotlights local programs that offer various resources to individuals and families.

And yes, the coalition has listened firsthand to the wrenching accounts of survivors – along with the stories of those who’ve lost loved ones to domestic violence.

But this organization doesn’t just talk – it acts. It has effected meaningful change that cuts to the roots of domestic violence.

The group was instrumental in the Yakima Police Department’s decision to start collecting specific data on intimate partner violence – incidents involving a current or former partner, as opposed to, say, a roommate – in June 2021.

Tracking that data helps law enforcement zero in on better ways to detect and prevent trouble.

For the record, YPD has documented 3,334 cases of intimate partner violence since the new way of recording began.

The coalition’s latest accomplishment: successfully pushing for a new tool that allows jail officials, police and prosecutors to monitor the electronic communications of inmates who might be violating no-contact orders by threatening or harassing people from behind bars.

In just two years, the coalition has produced practical solutions for a problem that spares no community, no socio-economic group, no ethnicity and no age range.

Not every town is fortunate enough to have a coalition like this one, but perhaps Yakima’s example will encourage similar organizations to start up in other places.

“I think we’ve become somewhat of a model,” Janis told the YH-R’s Tammy Ayer last week.

We hope so. Because after what the Yakima Domestic Violence Coalition has achieved so far, towns across Washington should be taking note.

Yakima Herald-Republic editorials reflect the collective opinions of the newspaper’s local editorial board.